[jjm2111]

I've worked on cargo ships once upon a time. The ILWA has three classes (if memory serves me). The top guys do make VERY good money. The $160,000 is a bit stretched though.

The third tier guys are very lazy. The crane operators are terrible. (In one three day period, the crane operator took out a cluster light part of the ship's rail, and a hatch cover). The crane operators would also hit the "Emergency Stop" button on the crane panel, so I would have to climb to the top of the crane and reset it.

ILWA longshoreman would actually bring pillows and blankets on the ship. I would find them wandering around the house, etc. I'd have wake them up.

[clamboat]

I know you worked on the ships and not on the docks, but do you have any idea how much of, say, a 100K gross salary would have to be kicked back to the union in the form of dues or whatever else? Do you think 5%? 10%?

The salaries sound good, but I wonder how much the guy in the dock actually gets to keep.